The Wild Krew
by Tang Ri Shan
Summary: When Ken Kailix and his sister Jackie join an animal help group called the Creature Club, they are thrilled. Helping animals is something they have dreamed of doing their whole lives. But eventually the siblings notice something weird about Allison, the Club's leader. They investigate and make two shocking discoveries that land them in the middle of a secret war for wildlife.
1. Prologue

Tang Ri Shan

**The Wild Krew**

(**Kratts Creatures, Zoboomafoo, Wild Kratts, I love 'em all! I'm a big Kratts Brothers fan, and this story is made to tribute them. It'll mostly follow Wild Kratts, but I'll be incorporating elements from their other shows as well. I do not own the Kratt Brothers or any other characters in this story. Enjoy and PLEASE COMMENT! Let me know you guys are still reading!)**

**Prologue**

The owl called out once from its branch, its dark eyes gazing serenely at its surroundings. It twisted its head completely around, scanning the surrounding woods for prey. It paused, its head gazing over its shoulder. Its eyes widened and it blinked. A faint humming had reached its sensitive ears. Its eyes gazed skyward, following the sound. The sky was filled with clouds, there was the faint outline of a silvery moon trying, without success, to break through the cloud barrier. Suddenly there was a little disturbance in the clouds, a small hole appeared for a fraction of a second. The owl blinked again, but when it looked back up, the hole had closed. Curious, the owl spread its wings and flew upwards, leaving the tree canopy behind. As it flew higher, the humming sound became louder. The owl suddenly came to a halt and screeched a warning. The humming got louder and the owl noticed a see-through, blurred outline moving straight towards it. The owl screeched again and dove, just in time as it felt something brush against its tail feathers. The owl flew in a circle and watched as the blurred shape came to a stop, hovering above the edge of a small meadow ringed by forest.

_**Inside**_

"JZ, Report!" A shrill voice called out. "How far away are we?"

"Range to assigned coordinates, 5 miles" A scraggy voice replied. "I've spotted a meadow below. It's big enough, isolated, would make an ideal recovery zone. Scanning now" A minute passed. "Scans reveal only insects and small mammals in said zone. Touching down"

_**Outside**_

The owl narrowed its eyes as the hum suddenly got louder. The blurred outline settled down, whipping the grass and leaves in the meadow. There was a quiet thump, and then the humming died away. The owl landed on a branch and studied the field. The blurred outline had stopped moving and was now completely invisible, and now that the humming had stopped, the owl couldn't hear anything. It was just thinking of leaving when it heard a hiss. A second one followed the first and a square of light appeared out of nowhere, briefly illuminating the field. The owl blinked twice as two figures emerged from the circle of light. They looked like humans, they were both thin, but muscular, one was taller than the other. Both were wearing black suits with colored markings on them, one had green, the other blue. Both of them wore helmets that were oblong, and covered their entire heads, with two antennae slicing out the top. The owl cocked its head, it had learned to avoid humans, but these humans, while strange looking, didn't appear dangerous. The owl lifted its wings and flew closer.

"_MK, CK, listen carefully. The location in question is about 5 miles away, to the East. Your job is to get in, free the animals, and get out, preferable __without__ anyone noticing. We can't get any closer than this without being detected. Good luck"_

"Copy that KO, out" One of the humans tapped his wrist. "But how are we going to sneak in there?"

"If only we had some creature help." The other human sighed, looking around. The owl, who had been listening, felt a sudden rush to help. It lifted its wings and flew towards the two strange humans. The green one noticed the owl and held out an arm as a perch. "Well, hello there" He said as the owl alightened on his arm.

"A barn owl!" The other human in blue exclaimed. "Perfect!"

"Yeah" The first human agreed. "With the powers of silent flight, awesome eyesight, and amazing hearing. Perfect for sneaking and entering." The blue human reached out and gently touched the owl's feathers with one hand, both humans used their other hands to press a glowing spot on their chests, and there was a flash of blue-green light. The owl felt its perch shrink beneath it, lifted itself into the air, and stared. Where there had been two tall humans, where now two odd-looking barn owls like itself. Instead of tan and cream feathers, they had deep brown feathers, a tan face and green or blue highlights.

"Thanks for the assist" The blue owl whispered as the two owls flew away through the trees. As the barn owl flew in the other direction, the square of light disappeared and it heard someone yell the words

"To the Creature Rescue!"


	2. Chapter 1

Tang Ri Shan

**The Wild Krew**

(**Hello again! Got a new chapter for you! Enjoy and PLEASE comment. It's not that much trouble to type a few words in the comment section, right?)****  
><strong>

**(Remember, I only own Ken and Jackie, not anyone else in the story. In case you didn't notice, both names come from previous shows. Ken is named after the hippo crash test dummy from Kratts Creatures, while Jackie is named after one of the animal helpers in Zoboomafoo. The club leader, Allison, is also named after a character in Kratts Creatures.)**

**CH 1**

KWAHAHAHAHAHA! Ken's eyes snapped open as the piercing laugh of a kookaburra echoed around his room. Yawning, he reached over to his bedside table and tapped the top of his alarm clock. The laughing stopped.

"That's one way to be woken up" Ken chuckled as he got out of bed. Grabbing a towel, he walked down the hall towards the bathroom. As he turned on the water, he heard whipoorwill call seep from under the door and smiled as he undressed and stepped into the shower. As he lathered up, he found his mind flashing back to the strange dream he had had last night. What was it? Ken shut his eyes and grimaced, trying to remember. He was certain that there had been a flying turtle, and he vaguely remembered seeing a group of strange creatures. They had been talking to him, trying to tell him something. But the only thing he clearly remembered was a strange symbol. A white pawprint in a black circle.

"Hey Ken!" Ken was snapped out of his daydream by a pounding on the door. "Hurry up in there!"

"Sorry, be right out!" Ken called back as he turned off the shower. He dried off, brushed his teeth, and pulled his green PJs back on. Checking himself in the mirror, he saw a boy with messy brown hair and blue eyes staring back at him. He smiled and turned towards the door as the knocking began again. He opened ti see his sister Jackie standing there in her nightgown and robe, one fist raised, her long brown hair a mess.

"About time!" She snapped, darting past him into the bathroom.

"Good morning to you too" Ken mused as the door closed behind her. He chuckled as his father stepped out of the master bedroom already dressed in a black suit and matching tie.

"Breakfast in ten" He said as he headed downstairs.

"Got it" Ken nodded as he headed back to his room. He changed into jeans and a white t-shirt with a snow leopard on it. As he tied on his sneakers, his phone buzzed. Picking it up, he saw a text from his friend Amy.

_I GOT IT! JUST ARRIVED!_

Ken felt his eyes widen as he read the text. His fingers flew as he responded

_AND?_

a minute later,

_I GOT IN!_

Ken pumped his fist as he texted back

_CONGRATS!_

_THANKS! WHAT ABOUT U?_

_HAVN'T SEEN IT YET. STILL HOPING!_

_YOU'LL GET IT! i KNOW YOU WILL!_

"Kids, Breakfast!" Ken heard his father call from downstairs. SEE U LATER! He texted and went downstairs.

Jackie was already there, wearing brown pants and a khaki blouse. Jackie always said she looked good in earthy colors like grey, brown, and green. Ken had to admit she looked good. They complimented her green eyes. Both Ken and Jackie had dark brown hair, but while Ken's eyes were sapphire blue, Jackie's were emerald green.

"Good morning Ken" She said sweetly, smiling as she flipped her hair under her brown headband.

"Good morning Jackie" Ken replied, sitting down and grabbing a bagel from the center of the table. "Glad you finally got out of the shower"

"Yeah, I must have set my alarm wrong" Jackie said, filling a bowl with cereal.

"I will never understand" Their father spoke up from the end of the table, turning down the small radio that sat on the edge of the table and peering over his glasses, framing his children with his blue eyes. "Why you kids had to get _those_ particular alarm tones. Who likes waking up to a whipporwill call or a kookaburra laugh?"

"We do" Both kids replied.

"I mean, who else can say they woke up to that particular bird call?" Ken asked. His father laughed and didn't answer.

"Mail call!" Their mother announced as she walked in holding a small bundle of envelopes.

"I prefer _that_ kind of call" Their father said, making everyone laugh. "What have we got?"

"Hmm, nothing special." She replied sorting through them. "There's a letter for each of you though" She fished out two letters, handing one to Ken and one to Jackie. As soon as Ken took it, he felt a sudden surge of excitement. His fingers seemed to tingle. Could this be it? He slowly opened the letter.

_Dear Ken Kailish,_

_It is our pleasure to announce that, after much consideration, we have accepted your application and officially invite you to join the Creature Corps staff. _

_As you are aware, the Creature Corps was founded 10 years ago, and its mission is simply to ensure that animals are allowed to continue living free and in the wild. To help ensure this, the Corps has called upon the ideas and hands of children like you all over the world._

_As a member of the Creature Corps staff, you will help assist the C.O of your sector in planning and organizing awareness events, as well as help to spread the message about caring for creatures._

_More details will be explained at the next staff meeting in your sector, which will commence at the Animal Junction Restaurant tomorrow evening at 6 pm. We sincerely hope that you and your family will be able to attend. _

_Congradulations, and we look forward to working with you. _

_Yours in Adventuring,_

**_Chris__ Kratt  
><em>**_**Martin**_** Kratt  
><strong>Founders of the Creature Corps  
>"Go make An Animal Friend Today!"<p>

Below the signature was the logo of the Corps, a black-and-white lemur hanging from a pair of C's,back-to-back.

As Ken finished reading the letter, he felt so stunned he could barely move, barely breathe. Slowly, he glanced up at his sister and saw his surprise mirrored in her eyes. Then, her mouth slowly curved up into a gigantic smile and Ken felt his face mirror hers.

"I GOT IN! NO WAY! YOU TOO?" Both siblings exclaimed at the same time, causing their father to burst out laughing.

"Are you sure they aren't twins, because they're reading each other's thoughts again" He said to his wife, who smiled.

"Congratulations" She said to Ken and Jackie. "It's so exciting that you're ready to take an interest in helping the community"

"Mom, the Creature Corps isn't just about helping the community" Jackie corrected her. "It's about helping animals."

"Yeah, wild animals belong in the wild" Ken agreed. "Not wearing costumes, and not doing silly tricks"

"Wait! Listen to this!" His father suddenly barked, turning up the volume of his radio.

_"...Police are searching for the burglars that broke into the Quilbolt chemical labs last night. Though nothing of value was taken, it was estimated that the burglars caused $5000 worth of damage when they released all the lab animals from their cages and damaged several pieces of machinery. The curious thing was that one the night guards, who witnessed the incident, described the burglars as being two man-sized barn owls. The research lab is an offshoot of the Atlas Medical corporation and was apparently researching how animals reacted to various pathogens. This break in comes days after a petition was started by the Kratt Brothers that the lab free its testing animals after they were finished with them. The director of the lab and chief of security were unavailable for comment"_

"Hmmm. What do you think of that?" Ken's father turned and noticed the frowns on Ken and Jackie's faces.

"Wild animals should _also_ not be caged and used as test subjects" Jackie said, her voice bitter.

"Careful Jackie" Her father warned. "I don't like it either, but that lab provides a lot of income around here. If peopel hear you talk like that, you could find yourself in trouble."

"I don't care if anyone hears me. It's the truth!" Jackie stomped her foot in frustration"

* * *

><p>Little did Jackie know that someone <em>was<em> listening, _and_ watching. A small spider-like robot was hanging from the ceiling, gazing down at the family. It focused on Jackie and its lens eye seemed to narrow.

Some distance away, two figures were monitoring a screen. One of them pressed a button and the screen rewound.

_"I don't care it anyone hears me. It's the truth!"_ Jackie's angry face filled the screen.

The figures didn't say anything, but one shook its head, and the other gave a wicked smile.

* * *

><p><strong>(Uh oh! Jackie should be more careful! This could be trouble, or is it?) Please let me know what you think so far)<strong>

**(Next chapter, Ken and Jackie go to the meeting and meet Allison, and there is another 'incident' at that very restaurant)**


	3. Chapter 2

Tang Ri Shan

**The Wild Krew**

**(Yay! Nice to see people haven't forgotten me! Here's the next chapter!)**

**(P.S: Amy's last name is shared by one of Zoboomafoo's founders. See? Lot's of tributes happening here!)**

Ken and Jackie were still feeling excited when they were dropped off at school by their parents.

"I'm so excited!" Jackie squealed, practically bouncing up and down.

"Yeah! This is gonna be great!" Ken agreed.

"Hey Guys!" Ken and Jackie looked up to see a tall girl with long red hair waving at them from the school doors.

"Amy!" Jackie called as they ran up to her. Amy Robertson smiled at them, her green eyes flashing with happiness. She adjusted the grey beanie on her head and ran over to them.

"Check it out!" She crowed, pulling a letter from her shoulder bag.

"Us too!" Ken and Jackie both showed her their letters.

Amy's jaw dropped. "Both of you? No Way!" She screamed.

"Yes way!" Jackie crowed as she and Amy hugged, screaming in joy. Ken rolled his eyes, but kept a big smile on his face. "_That's best friends for you"_ he thought to himself. Amy and Jackie had been friends since kindergarten, Ken was friends with her as well, and all three of them shared a love of animals.

"And what are you bird-brains squawking about now?" Ken's smile faded and the girls broke apart.

"What's it to you, Desmona?" Jackie snapped, turning to face the dark-haired girl with the wicked sneer on her face.

"I'm just saying" Desmona Donata replied, flipping her black hair over her shoulder stylishly, "that some of us prefer to start our morning without having to listen to the calls of the _screamacus idiotus"_

"Oooh clever. You come up with that yourself?" Amy teased, then frowned. "Interesting shoes by the way"

Desmona smiled, motioning to her calf-length boots, which were made of a shiny green material. "Like 'em? They're genuine snake skin" Ken and Amy gasped while Jackie visibly paled. Desmona smiled wickedly at their reactions. "Oh that's right, I forgot. You three can't stand seeing animals made into clothing. Well then, seeing as how you're wearing animal hair yourself, maybe you shouldn't be wearing clothing at all!" Desmona burst out laughing at the thought, as did the crowd that had assembled.

"Actually, our shirts are made of cotton, which is a _plant_" Ken corrected.

"Yeah, and my sweater's made of sheep's wool from my uncle's farm! Wool I collected, spun, and weaved myself!" Amy added, tapping the dark brown sweater she was wearing.

"We actually _care_ where our clothing comes from!" Jackie snapped. "I'll bet you never even saw what snake those came from" She mentioned to Desmona's boots.

Desmona shrugged. "Who cares? A snake's a snake" Jackie's eye widened ans her face changed from pale to red as she flushed with anger. She opened her mouth to retort, but just then, the school bell rang. "Ah well. There's the bell. Ta ta, tree-huggers" Desmona sang over her shoulder as she walked away, flipping her hair again. Most of the assembled crowd followed her.

"Those poor snakes!" Amy covered her mouth in horror. Jackie sputtered like an angry firecracker.

"That little...that's practically murder! She can't get away with that!"

Ken sighed, shaking her head. "Since when has Desmona Donata ever cared about what was right? All she cares about is setting trends"

"Just like her fashion-fanatical aunt Donita" Amy growled, frowning as the threesome made to follow the rest of the class inside.

"Don't worry girls" Ken assured them. "Remember, what goes around comes around. Desmona's gonna get hers one of these days, I can feel it"

"Well, if she does, I hope I'm there to see it" Jackie grumbled as the threesome went in. As they closed the door, none of them noticed a small shape buzz in after them.

* * *

><p>"Did you get a reading?"<p>

"No, get me closer"

The blue-lined humanoid grunted as he gently eased the joystick forwards. Glancing up at the screen, he watched the image drift through the hallway of the school before focusing on Desmona. A few quick taps and the image zoomed in on her boots. "In range, scanning now" He pressed a button on the the joystick. A blue wave passed through the image, moving up and down the boots. There was a green flash and a DNA strand appeared on the side of the screen.

"DNA captured." The green-lined humanoid announced, tapping a few commands on the keyboard in front of him. "Searching database" The screen was filled with thousands of images of different creatures, their DNA patterns being compared against the DNA strand on the screen. Eventually the computer beeped and a DNA strand identical to the one scanned from Desmona's boots appeared on the screen. The humanoid tapped in a command and the image of a bright green snake appeared. "We have a match. _Corallus Caninus_ confirmed." The humanoid read out to chorus of groans. Spinning around in his chair, the green humanoid turned to face three other humanoids of various colors, one purple, one orange, and one yellow.

"Guess we now know what happened to that missing Emerald Tree Boa" The purple-lined humanoid grumbled.

"I don't get it." The yellow-lined humanoid scrached his head. "Why steal a snake from a pet store just to make into a pair of shoes? They don't even look that comfortable"

"Humans sometimes do mindless things, JZ" The blue-lined humanoid sighed.

Suddenly there was a beeping coming from another computer console. The orange-lined humanoid dashed to it and typed in a command. A map of the area appeared on the screen and a red blip began flashing.

"Got him" She growled. "According to this, our target is due to appear at the Animal Junction Restaurant tomorrow night."

"Animal Junction? Isn't that where..." The blue humanoid paused.

"The Creature Corps meeting is happening? Yeah" The green humanoid finished, then he gasped. "No, he wouldn't! Would he?"

"I wouldn't put anything past _that_ guy." The yellow humanoid snarled. "Looks like we have work to do" The others nodded.

* * *

><p>For Ken and Jackie, the next two days seemed to fly by. After-school on Tuesday, both siblings raced home and finished their homework in record time.<p>

"Man, I am so excited for tonight!" Jackie said as they drove to the restaurant for the event.

"Yeah, me too!" Ken agreed, adjusting the collar of his shirt. Their mother had insisted on them dressing a little formally for the meeting. Jackie was wearing an earth-brown dress and dark brown nylons while ken was wearing a dark green polo shirt and khaki pants.

"Making a good impression is very important." Their mother had insisted. "Especially at an important event like this"

"I'm sure no one else is this dressed up" Ken grumbled to himself. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, Jackie tug a little at the helm of her dress and gave a little smile. Jackie was not very into dressing up either. Like Ken, she preferred function over fashion.

"Here we are" Their mother said a few minutes later, pulling into the parking lot of the animal Junction Restaurant. The two-story building was built to resemble an earthen lodge and was roundish and the walls were painted a muddy brown and the building was covered by what looked like a thatched roof. To a newcomer, the building may not look like much, but Ken and Jackie, who had eaten there before, knew how popular it was with the locals. They passed through the front doors, which were carved with sunbursts and were flanked by elephant statues and they were greeted by the smell of spicy cooking wafting from the double doors leading into the kitchens. Peering through a stone archway, they could see groups of tables spread around the circular dining area or up on one of the two balconies that ringed the room. Servers in dark brown uniforms scuttled with purpose between the tables and along the far wall, a small band was playing a blues tune. Statues of various animals like antelope, lizards, birds and big cats ringed the room and more were painted on the walls. Ken glanced up as a big call resonated from the dark ceiling, which was covered in fake foliage. Dim lights and a bit of smoke added to the wild effect of the restaurant.

"Hello, my children are here for the creature corps meeting" Their mother spoke to the hostess, who was standing next to the serving podium. The hostess glanced down at her screen, then smiled.

"Of course miss, the meeting's going to be upstairs." She motioned to a flight of stairs that ran up along one of the walls, disappearing into the dark ceiling.

Ken's mother turned back to them. "Alright, you two have fun, okay?"

"Wait, you're not coming with us?" Jackie's voice mirrored the confusion that Ken was feeling.

"I wish I could" Their mother smiled sheepishly. "But I received a call this morning. There's been another short-staffing situation at the hospital"

_"Again?_" Jackie rolled her eyes while their mother nodded. Their mother was an experienced vet and was often called when there were problems at the clinic where she worked.

"I'm sorry, but just give your father a call when the meeting is over and he'll come get you. Okay?"

"Okay" Ken and Jackie agreed. Their mother gave them a wave and headed out the front doors while Ken and Jackie climbed the stairs alone.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, I lied. I told you that I'd get to the meeting by now, but I got so caught up in the moment. I don't like to make chapters too big so I'm cutting this one in two. <strong>

**Let me know if there's anything from the shows that you want me to include, I'm sure I can squeeze it in. **

**In the next chapter, the kids meet Allison and make the first of many shocking discoveries. **

**(:Let me know what you think. Seriously, PLEASE COMMENT!:)**


	4. Chapter 3

Tang Ri Shan

**The Wild Krew**

**Ch 3**

Ken signed as he climbed the steps next to his sister. He couldn't explain it, but he suddenly felt nervous. The higher up the stairs he got, the more intense the feeling became, his heart was fluttering, accompanied by an icy feeling on the back of his neck. Ken finally came to a halt as the stairs vanished into the dark ceiling of the room, and glanced back down the stairway. He could see the hostess, who was speaking to an elderly couple, but none of them were looking at him. He peered over the railing at the crowded dining room below. There were plenty of people there, but no one was looking up.

"Hey, what's the hold up?" Jackie glanced down at him from a few steps above him.

"Um.." Ken hesitated, suddenly having trouble finding the words. He glanced up towards the ceiling in thought, and felt his eyes widen in shock. Directly above him was ventilation duct, and peering down at him through the cover were a pair of eyes. Two glowing blue eyes without pupils that stared at him, unblinking. Ken felt the hair on the back of his neck rise up. Those eyes did not look human, yet there was some kind of wisdom in their gaze, he almost felt like the owner of those eyes was sizing him up, like a stray animal deciding if he was a threat or not.

"Ken!" Ken jumped at her sister's exclamation, the eyes blinked and then vanished. "What are you looking at?"

"Uh, nothing" Ken replied hastily, shaking his head. Jackie shrugged and turned away. Ken glanced back up at the vent, but was dark now. "I must have imagined it" He assured himself as he climbed the stairs. _  
><em>

* * *

><p>"Uh-Oh"<p>

"What's wrong?"

"Those two kids climbing the stairs, I think the boy saw me"

"W_hat_?"

"Relax, he probably thought I was a mouse or something"

"I hope so, distractions are the last thing we need. Come on, let's keep moving. He must be here somewhere!"

* * *

><p>"WELCOME CREATURE CORPS" read the words on the sign that awaited the siblings at the top of the stairs. Ken and Jackie looked past it into a smaller room that consisted of five circular tables and an L shaped bar at the back. A dozen or so adults and as many teenagers were milling around between these two tables, talking in low voices. For a moment, Ken and Jackie stood by the sign, unsure of who to talk to, then one of the girls looked up, a familiar girl with red hair.<p>

"Amy!" Jackie called, walking up to her.

"Hey, you guys made it" Amy's smile widened as she brushed a lock of red hair out of her eyes. She was wearing jeans and a cream-colored t shirt.

"I told mom no one else would get dressed up" Ken smiled at Jackie, who rolled her eyes.

Amy chuckled. "You guys look great. Hey Allison!" Amy called over her shoulder. A teenage girl with dark brown hair pulled back tight glanced up from one of the tables. She was wearing overalls and a dark green shirt. "Come over here!" The girl smiled as she walked over.

"Allison, these are my friends, Ken and Jackie Kailix" Amy introduced them.

"Nice to meet you guys" Allison shook their hands. "Thanks for coming"

"Thanks for having us" Jackie replied.

"Well, I think everyone's here now." Allison placed her fingers in her mouth and gave shrill whistle. Conversation died as everyone looked up. "Welcome everyone, please take a seat and we can get started" There was a scraping of chairs as everyone rushed to comply.  
>"For those of you who don't know, my name is Allison and I am the C.O of this sector for the Creature Corps. The main purpose of this meeting is to help support the fishing festival happening next month."<p>

"What's the fishing festival?" A young boy asked, raising his hand.

"Good question Cory" Allison nodded at the boy before answering. "The fishing festival is a yearly event held at Crescent Lake, about 30 miles south of here. Fishermen meet there to discuss stories and to help show others safe fishing skills. However recently, pollution from the nearby factories has decimated the fish stocks."

"That's terrible" Jackie exclaimed, looking crestfallen.

Allison nodded grimly. "The head of the festival contacted me, not only is the pollution a problem, but so is local involvement. For the past coupe years the festival has barely brought in enough people to make a difference. That's where we come in. We need ideas people, new and exciting ideas that can re-kindle people's interest in fishing. Anyone have any?"

"How about a fishing derby?" Someone suggested from the back.

Allison frowned. "It's a good idea, but it's been done so many times before I'm not sure that it will attract many people. Anyone else?"

"I've got an idea" Ken sad, raising his hand. Everyone looked at him. "How about a hunt?"

Allison tilted her head, a confused look on her face. "Like hunting animals?"

"In a way. Let's face it, I don't think there's truly a way that we can get everyone excited about fishing, so let's expand the fishing festival into something bigger that more people would be interested in."

"And what would you suggest?" Allison asked.

"Like a..." Ken paused. "A creature scavenger hunt"

"Explain please"

"Well, we could..." Ken thought quickly "We would make evidence of various creatures in the woods, like tracks and stuff, and challenge people to find them. The winner would receive some sort of prize"

"Or maybe we could dress up like creatures and have people try to find us by following the rules of nature" Jackie suggested. Ken shot Jackie a grateful smile.

"Yeah, let's do that" Ken agreed.

"I like it!" Someone shouted.

"Me too!"

"Count me in!"

Allison smiled at Ken and Jackie. "Looks like we have an idea. Anyone else want to contribute anything?" No one said anything, and Allison slapped the table. "Alright, now let's all try to find a way to bring Ken and Jackie's idea to life. We need to..." Allison broke off as loud noises suddenly began coming from the stairwell, bangs, crashes...

and screams.


	5. Chapter 4

Tang Ri Shan

**The Wild Krew**

**(Whew, who knew the holidays could be so busy? In between working, decorating the house, and my other writing pieces, I've barely had time to add on to this one. But here it is and I think you'll find its worth the wait.)**

**Ch 4 **

"What's going on?" Jackie exclaimed as the screams from downstairs grew louder.

"Think someone didn't like the food?" A kid asked, scratching his head.

"Let's go see what it is" Ken stood and started towards the stairs.

"No!" Ken froze as Allison rose to her feet. Her face was set in a frown and her eyes were suddenly cold. "We need to get out of here. Let's use the back stairs!" She pointed to a door in the far wall with a bright red EMERGENCY EXIT sign above it. There was a sudden scramble as the assembled crowd moved towards the door. Ken however, moved towards the stairs.

"Ken, what are you doing?" Jackie;s voice made him stop at the foot of the stairs. She was standing by the emergency exit.

"I'm going to see what's going on down there" Ken explained.

Jackie's eyes widened and she looked scared as another scream rose from the floor below, followed by loud crashes. "You can't be serious"

"Jackie, remember when we were coming up here, I saw those eyes in the vents?" Ken reminded her.

"Yeah, so?"

"So, if it was some kind of animal, what if it's loose downstairs?" Ken asked. "If it is, we need to help it"

Jackie still looked nervous. "What if it's dangerous?"

"_Any_ animal can become dangerous when it's scared." Ken reminded her. "If we can find out why it's scared, and remove it, maybe it'll leave of its own accord. Besides..." Ken smiled. "This is what we joined Creature Corps for"_  
><em>

Jackie nodded. "You're right. If we're serious about helping animals, we can't abandon this one. Let's go!" The siblings took off running down the stairs, neither noticing that the exit door was slightly ajar and that a shadowy figure was standing on the other side.

* * *

><p>Ken and Jackie crept down the stairs, trying not to make any noise, not that it would have mattered with the loud bangs and growls coming from the main dining area.<p>

"What do you think's in there?" Jackie whispered as they paused at the arch leading into the dining room. The hostess had fled from her desk.

Ken opened his mouth to answer, but was gut off by a vicious-sounding growl.

"Sounds like a wolf growl" Ken pondered. "More than one" his eyes widened as two more growls were heard. Jackie paled and gulped. Suddenly there was the sound of a slamming door, and all was quiet.

"What's happening?" Jackie moaned. Ken didn't answer, but he slowly stuck his head around the arch and peered into the room. He gasped. The room was deserted, and it was a wreck! Tables were overturned, some had their legs ripped off. Chairs were broken and splintered, tablecloths, sheets, and drapes were ripped to pieces, and there were claw marks everywhere.

"What kind of animal could have done this?" Ken asked as the siblings crept into the room. As if in response, they heard animal growls and a human scream coming from a pair of swinging doors at the far end of the hall.

"Well, whatever it is, sounds like it's still here" Jackie squeaked.

"It's in the kitchen" Ken breathed. The siblings looked at each other and then crept up to the sliding doors. Standing on tiptoe, they peeked through the glass windows, and their eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

"Woahhh!" They both exclaimed.

The kitchen beyond was just as messy as the dining room, but _unlike_ the dining room, it wasn't deserted. Four figures were gathered around one of the steel tables. One was an extremely nervous man with a walrus mustache, a bald head, and a protruding belly. He was wearing a white apron and clutching a chef's hat. Surrounding him were three humanoid figures that looked like wolves on two legs. They each had different colored fur, moss green, sky blue, and creamy yellow. Each of them were growling angrily at the chef. Ken could see their fangs flashing in the kitchen lights.

"Vhat do you beasts vant wit me?" The chef cried out in a thickly accented voice that did little to mask his terror. One of the wolf-creatures growled, as if in responce.

"I do not know vhat you are talking about?" The chef cried out, wringing his hat nervously.

"Is he _communicating_ with them?" Jackie whispered to Ken, her eyes wide. Ken shrugged and leaned a little closer to listen, but suddenly he felt the door start to move. It squeaked loudly. The three wolf-figures froze. The chef looked up and locked eyes with Ken.

"HELP! HELP ME!" He screamed, waving his arms. The wolf-figures turned towards the doorway. Ken and Jackie ducked down, but heard a scrabble of claws getting louder. Ken glanced at Jackie, whose face mirrored his own terror. _HIDE,_ he mouthed. Jackie nodded fearfully, turned and dove under a table. Ken dove under another table that flanked the door, which burst open a second later. Ken froze as a wolf growl filled the room.

Ken waited with bated breath as he heard sniffing, followed by clicking of claws on the dining room's wooden floor. The creature growled again, but if sounded fainter as it headed towards the front of the restaurant.

Kevin gave a mental sigh of relief, than he noticed that part of his foot was sticking out from the skirt that covered the table. The shifted backwards, trying to pull it in.

CLANG "ow!" Ken;s head collided with the metal center of the table and he could not mask the cry of pain. He clapped his hand over his mouth but it was too late. He could hear the wolf creature growling again, and it was getting closer.

THUD! Kevin jumped as the table shook. Through the thick white fabric of the table skirt, he could make out a dark figure landing next to him and heard scratching and sniffing coming from above him. Then his heart quickened as the figure knelt down and began sniffing the floor. The creature growled again and, to Ken's horror, reached out with what looked like a clawed hand to grasp the edge of the table skirt, like it was going to lift it.

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><p><strong>Oooo! Ken's in trouble! Don't you just love these moments when the hero is seconds away from being discovered by the monster?<strong>

**Next chapter: Ken may or may not escape from the creature and the siblings may or may not make an amazing discovery!**

**Let me know what you think! Seriously, your replies are what keep me writing, SO PLEASE DON'T STOP REPLYING!**


	6. Chapter 5

Tang Ri Shan

**The Wild Krew**

**(Okay everybody! New chapter coming your way!)**

**Ch 5**

Ken's eyes widened as he heard the creature growl. Terror raced down his spine as he saw the outline of a clawed hand grasp the edge of the tablecloth and start to lift it. A few more seconds, and he'd be exposed. _Oh no! OH NO!_ Ken's mind wailed as he curled into a ball and squeezed his eyes shut. He knew that normal wolves didn't usually attack people, but a werewolf like creature, that was different.

"_CK. Come in. Do you read?"_ Ken's eyes snapped open as a crackly voice reached his ears. It sounded like a woman speaking through a radio. He saw that the creature appeared to have frozen. "_CK. Come in. Do You Read?"_ The voice repeated, this time more urgently. Ken was about to open his mouth, when the creature suddenly shifted and, to Ken;s amazement, responded.

"_This is CK, what's happening?"_ It spoke in a voice that was barely a growl.

"_We've spotted police, heading your way_" The woman replied._  
><em>

"_ETA?"_

_"At least one minute. Did you take care of the chef?"_

"_Oh yes"_ Ken shuddered as he heard the unmistakable sound of pleasure in the creature's response.

"_Then find the others and get out of there, NOW!"_ There was a click. The creature remained where it was for a few seconds, then dropped the tablecloth and moved away. Ken heard the squeak of the kitchen door, followed by a lot of growling and clacking of claws, then dead silence.

For a few moments, Ken remained frozen, then slowly, he lifted up the tablecloth and peeked out into the wrecked dining room. Seeing no one, he crawled out from under the table.

"Jackie? You okay?" He called out, keeping his voice down as he scanned the dining room.

Jackie's head popped up from under a table. "I'm fine" She said shakily, crawling out from her hiding place. "But that was seriously scary."

"Tell me about it" Ken took a deep breath and tried to stop his knees from shaking. "That 'creature' almost found me. I was almost werewolf chow"

At the mention of 'chow', Jackie's eyes suddenly grew wide. "Oh no! The Chef!" She squeaked and bolted towards the kitchen with Ken on her heels. Both siblings burst through the double doors. The kitchen was empty. The chef's tall white hat lay on a table, partially crumpled, but there was no sign of the man. "Where'd he go?" Jackie glanced around.

"There's no blood. Hopefully he got away" Ken glanced towards the back door of the kitchen leading outside, which was partially open. Through it, the siblings could hear the wailing of police sirens, getting louder every second.

"You know, there's something about those creatures that I don't get." Ken stated as the two siblings headed back into the dining room to meet the police.

"What's that?" Jackie asked, looking confused. Ken described the conversation he had overheard.

"So _that's _why the creature left? It got a radio call about the police?" Jackie frowned and her eyes squinted, the look the always got when she was really confused. "Since when do werewolves use radios?"

"About as often as they have green fur" Ken replied, recalling the greenish fur on the clawed hands that were gripping the tablecloth, as they walked outside and were met by several police officers, who led them to a waiting car. "Sis, remember the news, how that research laboratory was attacked by two man-sized barn owls? And now, a restaurant is ransacked by three werewolves?"

"You're saying there's a connection between these things?" Jackie's eyes widened.

"What I'm saying is..." Ken was interrupted as an officer walked over to them. Ken smiled as he recognized the man. It was Officer Forrest, a good-hearted member of the police force, and a fellow animal lover. He was a family friend.

"Hey Ken, Jackie, You two okay?"

"We're fine. Just a little shaken up" Ken replied.

"Um hm. You two didn't happen to see what occurred in there, did you?" The officer's eyes suddenly narrowed and he flicked his head towards the darkened restaurant.

Ken and Jackie glanced at each other. "No not really, why? Didn't any of the other diners tell you?" Ken asked, trying to sound calm.

The man grunted and shook his head. "We could only find a few of them." He nodded towards a dozen people who were gathered around a trio of officers and the police chief, jabbering away non-stop. "And as you can see, they're not being very helpful." He sighed. "They keep muttering about werewolves attacking the restaurant and demand protection, even though they said the creatures never even looked at them." He snorted. "Cowardly biggots" He muttered, making Jackie giggle. Officer Forrest smiled.

"Actually" Jackie spoke up. "We didn't _see_ anything, but we _heard_ growling coming from the kitchens. We thought an animal had gotten loose back there" Ken shot his sister a warning look. _Don't tell him!_

Officer Forrest took this down. "Interesting" He muttered. Jackie shot her brother a look that clearly stated _why not?_

_Because he'll think we're crazy!_ Ken yelled mentally. Just then another officer ran up.

"Got anything, Bucky?" Forrest asked.

"Well, everyone's accounted for, except for a visiting chef. Monsieur Gateaux." As the deputy spoke, Ken's mind flashed back to the frightened chef. "But there's somthin' else you gotta see"

Officer Forrest's eyes narrowed as the man pulled out one of the restaurant's menus. "You know removing evidence from a crime scene is..."

"Just read it" The younger officer shoved the paper at him. Officer Forrest's eyes scanned the page, widened in what seemed like horror, then narrowed into hostile slits.

"I don't believe it" He growled, handing the paper back to the younger man. "Has the chief seen this?"

"No, not yet."

"Do me a favor, and show him. Then radio headquarters, get an APB out on Monsieur Gateaux. We need to find him." The officer opened his mouth, but Forrest cut him off. "Just do it!" He barked, his tone surprising the kids. The man nodded and dashed towards the chief. Upon seeing the menu, the Chief frowned and began speaking rapidly into his radio.

"Of all the dirty, rotten, no-good..." Officer Forest's fists were clenched so hard his knuckles were turning white.

"Officer Forest, what's wrong?" Jackie asked.

"What was on that menu?" Ken asked.

The officer took a deep breath and gave the kids a sad look. "You kids know I'm a bird lover, right?" Ken and Jackie nodded. They remembered that officer Forrest was a bird watcher and raised turkeys and pheasants as a hobby. "Well, guess what this restaurant was serving tonight?"

Ken and Jackie glanced at each other, not quite sure what the officer was getting at. "Um, roasted quail?" Jackie finally guessed. Officer Forrest shook his head.

"Peking duck?" Ken guessed. Officer Forrest shook his head again

"Pheasant pot pie?" Ken tried again. Another shake.

"Baked owl in honey sauce?" Jackie piped up, making everyone glance at her. "What?" She asked innocently. "I'm just naming possible dishes"

"That last one would probably be illegal." Officer Forrest reminded her, then his gaze darkened, "As was the meal they were serving tonight"

"What was it?" Ken asked, though now he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Officer Forrest knelt down and said, quietly, but clearly. "Grilled. American. Condor"

Jackie gasped in horror, her hands flew to her mouth and her eyes widened to the size of saucers. Ken could have sworn he heard his brain short-circuit and he felt as though someone had kicked him in the stomach. "No" He moaned, suddenly feeling sick.

"Yes" Officer Forrest growled as he straightened up. He glanced around, then said "I don't mind telling you kids, but if there _were_ werewolves in that restaurant, they targeted the right guy. If they don't rip that chef to pieces, _I_ just might. Come on, I'll drop you two off" With that, he turned and staked towards his patrol car, muttering something about "bird-killers."

Ken and Jackie remained where they were, then they slowly turned to look at each other. The horror in each sibling's face was unmistakable and for a few minutes neither spoke.

"Why would a chef _do _that?" Jackie finally whimpered.

Ken slowly shook his head. Then his expression suddenly twisted into a thoughtful frown. "Another connection" he mused.

"What?" Jackie blinked.

"Think about it. An animal testing lab gets attacked by a pair of man-sized owls. A few days later a pack of wolf-creatures attack a restaurant, destroy the dining area, without harming a single guest, then moves to the kitchens and targets, out of all the staff, a visiting chef who just _happens_ to be serving a dish made from an endangered animal?" Ken reasoned as they started walking towards Officer Forrest's car.

Jackie's horrified look was replaced by one of understanding. "You're right. No way its a coincidence" She determined. "You think these attacks were planned?"

"I don't know, but something's going on here, and we've gotta find out what" Ken replied, gently swatting a buzzing insect away from his ear as he walked.

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><p>"<em>You think these attacks were planned?<em>"

A pair of humanoids wearing black suit suits with colored lining and oblong, insect-like helmets sat watching Ken and Jackie on a monitor screen.

_"I don't know, but something's going on here, and we've gotta find out what"_ Ken's voice made the orange-lined humanoid clench a fist and pound it on the desk.

"Subborn" She muttered.

"Maybe" Her companion, who had purple lines on her suit, commented.

"I admit their hearts are in the right place" The orange lined humanoid spun in her chair. "But the _last_ thing we need is..."

"LOOK OUT!" The purple-lined humanoid suddenly screamed, pointing to the monitor as a giant hand appeared on the screen. The orange-lined humanoid sung a joystick and the hand ghosted off the screen, which now showed and aerial view of the two children.

"Whew" she sighed before pressing a button and speaking into a microphone. "KO to MK, come in MK"

After a few seconds, a speaker in the panel crackled to life. _"MK to KO, we read you. Everyone's fine" _

"Then you boys better get back here, asap" The humanoid paused, then added. "And bring AB with you"

"_What? Why me?"_ A girl's voice blared through the speaker.

"Because there's something we need to discuss with you about" She answered before hanging up. The two humanoids nodded, then glanced up to the screen in time to see Ken and Jackie ride off in Officer Forrest's police car.

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><p><strong>Dum Dum Dummmmm!More action! More mystery! What did you like so far? What do you want to see happen next. LET ME KNOW!<strong>

**Next chapter: Ken begins an investigation and makes a discovery. Meanwhile, Jackie and Amy witness another attack, and help an unlikely ally.**

**Keep those reviews coming! It's the best way to keep the chapters coming!)**


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